


My Heart Grows Cold

by Crypterion_Moon



Series: The Sea where my Heart Belongs [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Abuse, Acceptance, Angst, Batfam bingo 2019, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Giving Up, Heavy Angst, Hurt No Comfort, Loneliness, Neglect, Sad Ending, Sea-longing, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-19 23:48:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18980854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crypterion_Moon/pseuds/Crypterion_Moon
Summary: Tim dreamt of the sea once, the memory had always remained with him when he needed it and when he didn't. He once dreamed of being part of it. And when he'd finally come to accept the truth, about is role within the family, as a partner, as a brother, there was nothing left for him but a beautiful memory and the sound of crashing waves, the song that echoed within





	My Heart Grows Cold

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to Siren's 'Lost At Sea', somehow, it just hurts while being so beautiful
> 
> First part of the series, more to come

He’s been to the circus, he’s run across the streets and climbed rooftops to chase Batman and Robin on patrol, he’s lived his life in a big house that was empty and cold. He’s been all over the world and back but when Tim stops to think, he’s never far from the reminders of the cities, to be able to just sit and not hear the city or a plane or any other man-made distraction, the only place he’d not been to was the sea. Not even the Titan’s Tower served enough to make him forget, but glimpsing the horizon where his vision narrowed to watch the sun set or rise, and the oceans lapping at the shore was as close he got to the dream he once had, where there was nothing but ocean.  
No mention of Metropolis, or Gotham, no villains or heroes, just one beautiful watery world that would accept him.  
He remembered the caretakers, reading him bed time stories and fairy tales, the one which he loved the most was about creatures of the ocean, mermen and mermaids. He loved them so much that he recounted the tales over and over until he could tell it to his parents without having to read it from the book.

“It sounds like you want to become a mermaid,” Janet said, giggling as her son puffed up.

“It’s Merman, mommy, boys are called mermen,” he said, crossing his arms so he looked like an huffy little squirrel, which just made them laugh a little more.

“You know, I heard stories like that when your mother and I travelled, that people who dived deep into the sea never came back to land, because they’d turn into merpeople.”

“Really?”

“Oh yes, and sometimes, they’d come back to shore to catch little children and make them into their little merbabies.”

Tim squeaked at that and both Jack and Janet were laughing again at his expense, “Oh don’t worry, I’m sure those aren’t true.”

“But the sea sounds like a beautiful place, like Atlantis and the coral reefs,” Tim said, imagining colorful, glittering seabeds in a backdrop of blue and green.

“It is, son, we wish we could take the time to enjoy it but we’re always too busy, speaking of which, Janet, we need to go to the docks this week. That shipment should be coming in soon.”

“Oh, you’re right, I need to find those papers first thing tonight then.”

“Can I come?” Tim said, his big blue eyes staring up at them both, “Please?”

At first, they refused due to business reasons but eventually he won them over and they all went to Gotham’s docks together. While Jack and Janet dealt with work, Tim stood on the edge of the pier, looking out over over the sea.  
He stood motionless for hours, expectant, until Janet finally came to fetch him. He was disappointed that he didn’t see any mermaids to which Janet smiled and said.

“Maybe you’ll get lucky next time.”

They never went again together.

That childish dream of wanting to see legendary creature mellow and faded over time but Tim never forgot the sounds of the see, punctuated by shouting and creaking of ship behind him. He’s never talked about it with anyone. Tim hasn’t had time to think about it either, with the life he leads, he barely has time to rest. But when the silent moments come and he can only hear the incessant noises the city produces, he remembers, blue, black and green with sunlight barely filtering through. Fish swimming overhead without a care in the world. Where time, slowed down.  
That memory of a dream he began to cling onto since his world began to crash around him.  
Tim sat at the top of the tower, listening to the sound of waves lapping at the shore, cut by background noises from the harbour itself. Reminding him of time and the ever fleeting passing of lives. He misses Kon and Bart, his two best friends that ever kept him happy, so he wouldn’t need to cling to a silly dream. But now they were both gone.  
He sniffed, aware of the dull ache that would never go away, threatening to spill over into tears. He didn’t want to cry.  
Then the comm he kept with him began to go off. Right, he thought, time to go home I guess.  
Wherever home was.

Gotham had become so dangerous for him, when did it get this bad? He had to avoid areas where Jason claimed territory over while simultaneously avoiding either Batman or Bruce or even just the manor because for sure the brat will be there. Last time he tried, he ended up with a sword just inches from his face. He couldn’t get away fast enough, with the next shot primed to hit their mark. Where the hell was Bruce that time?

Where is Bruce when he needed him most?

For a moment, he can feel a sour tang rise to his throat when he remembers it was Bruce who decided to let him go and pay more attention to Damian. That...would be fine, he was old enough to take care of himself, but he wasn’t fine with it when it meant now he got more trouble because things were always somehow his fault.

Just give him a chance, he’ll get better. It’s just a flesh wound, you’ll get over it. Dick wouldn’t do that if he were you. You’re picking fights with Damian again, stop it. You’re being impatient, give it time

Time was what he didn’t have, patience had nothing to do with it and he wasn’t Dick, full of enerfy and all around loving and caring, he’d spent his life being careful, knowing which ones he should never trust. Bruce taught him to be careful!  
He never wanted to fight Damian, but the brat had other ideas. So when he finally decided he needed to stay away from the manor, it made him so angry he could’ve cried when Bruce asked him why.

Why? Because I’m no longer welcome,it doesn’t feel like home? Why? No one can live in a house where they bear the hatred, the blame and mockery. No one.

His bike slows to a stop outside his place late into the evening, a whitewashed, two storied building  
Dick should be visiting from Bludhaven this month, it makes Tim relieved he has someone on top of Cass to talk to. He wants to see her more but she’s so important to her operations in Hong Kong, she rarely gets to visit. Tim hoped she was at least not pushing herself too much.  
When he makes it to the hallway, he breathes a sigh of relief, he’s been doing that a lot lately, whenever he makes it to his sanctuary without the intervention of either Bruce or god forbid, the little demon.  
He almost certain Dick should be awake and getting ready for patrol. Tim threw his duffel bag to the ground by the front door and lay his backpack in the empty kitchen seat while dialling the number.  
He let it ring for a bit, his eyes scanning the rooftops outside his window. But Dick didn’t pick up. He could be busy, Tim concluded.  
He should be out there too, even though he just arrived. It will be good to get some air and patrol. So Tim got ready, suiting up and grappling his way across familiar streets and buildings, despite how awful of a place Gotham could be, it had its own charm that he could never hate the city for. A lot of people have wondered how anybody could live in the dystopic dump that was Gotham sometimes, his only answer, it grows on you. 

Sirens blasting in the distance caught Tim’s attention as he spied the tell-tale signs of a chase.

Well, it takes time but it grow on a person, he followed the trail of blaring noise and people shouting in the street on top of the radios. Radios were surprisingly loud even all the way up in the air. He could make out a heist and several armed men in two or more separate vehicles.  
He couldn’t give chase without his bike though, so he opted to catch up as much as possible and plans some bugs before taking a breather on a nearby rooftop, ear to the transmissions and eye on the radar.  
They were heading downtown. Crap.  
Tim almost decided to give up there an then. That area was Red Hood territory and the thugs were pretty stupid to head in their for the sake of shaking the cops. Almost though, he didn’t like the idea of Hood breaking their skulls open for a heist, which he definitely would. Tim sighed, he’ll curse his sense of duty for making his job a whole lot harder.

He finally caught up after seeing the pin stop at the location of abandoned warehouse. Red Robin landed on the roof just overlooking the front of the warehouse where he could see three vans parked up beside each other. The doors at the back were wide open and inside, devoid of loot. 

Good, they’ll be too busy to see him coming. Better make this quick, Tim tells himself. No doubt Red Hood will have gotten wind of things going down in his area with all the sirens at full volume. It might take him a bit longer to get here if he’s a bit further away, Tim hopes it does, he doesn’t want to risk meeting him.  
Red Robin dropped from his perch, seeking out the shadows naturally, habits ingrained in him. He’s glad he doesn’t have bright yellow or green in his suit, it was actually damned hard for him to do the whole blending in thing when you look like a traffic light. Good thing he had the sense to exchange the completely yellow cape for one that was black on the outside, which offered him better concealment.  
The shutters are down and locked but as he looked up, he could see the window were mostly non-existent, just empty frames where the panes used to be before they were smashed. He can get in through there with minimal noise. luckily, he’s small enough to squeeze through, though he would’ve preferred not to be the smallest out of all the Robins. He knows for a fact that thanks to parent genes, Damian is likely to outgrow and outbulk him. He’s already ridiculously tall for a ten year old, once he hits his second growth spurt, he’ll be up to Tim’s height if not more. Tim shuddered to think of what kind of monster his third one will make him.  
He slipped in, unnoticed as the commotion below is clearer now. The men, more than a dozen of them, almost two, celebrated their successful robbery. Tim scoffed quietly, it will be a short victory though.  
First, find the farthest standing thugs from the centre and take them out first, the ones in the middle will be too busy counting money to hear him, buying him enough time to get rid of any other outliers, quietly, then end the last wave quickly. No back up so he needed to do this carefully.  
Red Robin descended, sticking close to the shadows. There were plenty of crates he could hide behind. One man stood leaning against a steel support. Tim ambushed him, smothering any cries behind a thick glove and took him out with a simple nerve strike. One down, way more to go.  
Rinse and repeat, he’s managed to whittle it down to just over half a dozen now, all crowding around the table arguing over shares.  
For a moment Tim considered blowing the light but he’s not sure if they’d just start shooting randomly, likely killing each other. They did have guns.  
Tim gritted his teeth, hard way is then.

“Hey!” He shouted, and rushed them just as they turned to look at him. Upper-cutting one hard enough to knock some teeth out.

“Crap, it’s Red Robin!”

“Get ‘im!”

They pulled out their guns and opened fire. Crap, not quite how he planned it. Red Robin leapt out of the way of the hail of bullets, taking shelter behind some crate until they stopped and reloaded. Perfect chance to strike, he rushed in again, this time taking out two more before the others tried to fill him with holes. No time to run for shelter again, he dove in, kicking one guy in the gut, before the next attempted to bash his head in with a pipe. Then a few other ones he’d take out earlier began to wake up.

“Great,” just his luck, he thought, this was about to drag on longer than he’d hoped. Suddenly, blinding force hit him in the back, the impact sounded like break wood as it winded him. Goddamn.

“Just in luck birdie, some of us needed a punching bag.”

He tried to push himself up, but was met with a boot to his already burning back. This...was not his night.

Suddenly, bullets started tearing into them and Tim felt the boot lift off him, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor.

“Crap, it the Red Hood! Scram!”

He didn’t try to get up, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes as they fell one by one, until they were either everyone was unconscious or dead. He heard the heavy thud of military grade boot echoing across the warehouse, felt it in the ground where his cheek was pressed up against. Jason.  
He was here, shit, shit, shit. Not part of the plan, need to get out.  
He shut his eyes hoping he would leave Tim alone. Instead, he felt a hand pull him up by the cape and he choked a bit.  
Coming face to face with the helmet always scared Tim, he could remember each time Jason lost patience with him and just...beat him, senseless.  
He hoped just a little bit that whatever frustration Jason had in him, he’d gotten out during the fight.

“What. The. Fuck. Are you doing on my turf, pretender?”

Tim winced, he hated that word so much, especially when Jason was the one who said it. His hero, who now held nothing but contempt and bitterness towards him.

“I was following them from Gotham central, I couldn’t let them go.”

Jason seems to regard him for a moment, snorting before he released him. He must have heard the scared tremble in Tim’s voice. It made him feel so timid and weak, but he couldn’t fight Jason anymore. It was easier to let the man be bigger.

“You should have, Timmy,” thankfully he doesn’t seem intent on punching him tonight.

“I know I should but I thought, it might be better if I finished up myself.”

“I can take care of thing on my own route, you know what happens when people start sticking their noses in my territory.”

Tim goes on the defensive now, “You would have killed them all, I needed to minimalize casualties.”

“Every scumbag deserves to die, it doesn’t matter what they do, the cross any line, they bite the bullet, consequences, Drake.”

Tim looks over to the loot left on the table, and spots a wallet, empty save for a photograph of a young girl and a much cleaner looking man who he recognises briefly as one of the thugs, “Even if some of them desperately needed the money?”

Jason spun around immediately grabbing Tim by the collar and hoisting him up in the air, “Don’t you start with me on morals, kid, you wanna be like Bruce, you can say hello to my fist, again.”

“I’m not...like Bruce,” Bruce doesn’t care about him either, he’ll never be like him.

“You’re right, you’re not, you’re too weak to be like him, at least the old man can hold his own but you? You’re just a wimp. Robin? Don’t make me laugh.”

Those word cut so deep Tim felt winded for the second time. Not strong enough like Jason. Not acrobatic enough like Dick. Not skilled enough like Damian. Not man enough like Bruce, he’d never measure up no matter how hard he tried to fit in. But the very thought filled him with rage.

“Take that back you jerk,” he pushed out. Man, he sounded so childish. 

“What’s the matter? Too close to home?” Jason butted right into Tim’s space, close enough that Tim could see his face reflected off the helmet, “Hit a nerve?”

Tim threw the first punch this time and Jason saw it coming a mile away, catching his arm and throwing one back, which connected neatly into his cheek. Stupid, stupid, he shouldn’t have let it get to him. But he’s too pissed off now even as Jason dangled him by the bandoliers. He glared up at Jason defiantly.

“You’re an ass, Hood, I can’ believe I used to look up to you,” Tim said, “You used to be my hero!”

“Will you shut up!” Then came the beating, in hind sight, Tim really shouldn’t have riled him up in spite, but this horrible bitterness he felt when he remembered chasing after Jason as Robin, dreaming of when he’d be like him, a young hero, carefree, the weight in his chest gets heavier. But even admitting it now, it doesn’t feel like it’s lightened. Not when Jason seems to treat it as mockery. By the time the punches stop, Jason is panting. Tim doesn’t feel it any more, he’s already too used to it. Nothing compares to the knife in his heart. So he closes everything off again and pictured the sea surrounding him, taking care of him.

“You’re delusional.” Is all that Jason says before he leaves Tim.

“Don’t let me catch you around here again, or I’ll add an extra few, maybe send you into ER.”

Tim hear him leave, the sound of a bike engine roaring in the distance, he winced as he tried to move, crap, he thinks something is broken. He stopped feeling, and just...listened, watching waves in his blurry vision and for a moment, he thought he could hear a song, low and sweet and echoing sadly around him.

By the time the police get to the site, Tim is gone, except in serious pain. No one came even after he sent out a distress signal, after waiting, he had to turn it off. Probably busy with bigger fish anyway, he joked bitterly.  
He patched himself up as best he could but for sure, a broken rib or two. Like last time. He lay down in bed disappointed by everything, once again, wishing there was a way to fix things. But any hope he had left, went out a long time ago to be honest. 

He spent the next month recovering from his injuries, Dick did finally called by but a little later than Tim was happy about. A visit is still a visit thought. He was forced to explain what happened. Dick didn’t miss the massive new bruises that Tim sported. But after getting the story, he was worried but not surprised.

“You know how it is with Jason, I think it’s still too soon for him to recover, I can’t imagine what he’s been through,” Dick said. Tim feels a little hurt by that, what about me, what about everything I’ve had to put up with? Tim forced the thought down and pretends.

“Yeah, just, would be nice if he talked about it instead of expressing it with his fists.”

Dick gave him a shocked look, “Expressing with Fists?! Does this happen all the time?”

“You sound surprised Dick, doesn’t he ever try that on you?”

“No, not really, at first, he was punch first talk later, but I think we’re fine now, he talks to me sometimes.”

“Oh.” Well that’s just peachy, Tim is hated.

“Don’t take it personally, he’s...not ready yet.”

“Like Damian isn’t ready?” Tim questions, extremely curious on Dicks thoughts about the boy now. Dick sighed, wishing that they didn’t have to discuss this.

“He was raised by assassins, Tim, it’s going to take more time to get him to change completely.”

Tim remained silent this time, the look on his face went from open to closed. Dick was no longer staring at Tim but Timothy Drake Wayne. Already Dick was panicking in his mind, realizing his little brother was shutting down on him again.

“I have to go, Dick, see you next time.” He said standing up abruptly. Dick was about to reach out but fell short as his brain failed to work out what just happened. Tim walked away, cold and empty. Time was against him, like most of this family. He could give them all his time but in the end, nothing would change, not for him. He wouldn’t be accepted. Tim shut his eyes as he imagined the sound of waves crashing ashore, to drown out everything but now, where time stopped.

He’s back on duty but incidentally, his cases tie in with the family’s, meaning he’d have to report to the cave. The last thing Tim wanted was to go back and face Damian’s insults and Bruce’s back. But he had no choice.  
Not when a premeditated homicidal gang was out there and there was no way this was something they’d let him deal alone, if they let him deal with it at all.  
So he went any way, hoping that maybe, just maybe tonight, Damian wouldn’t be in the mood to throw jabs at his expense, because he sure wasn’t. But to his irritation, the brat was, along with Bruce and Dick. And almost as soon as he stepped foot in the cave, came the irritating voices.

“Why do you still slink your way back here, Drake. We don’t accept snakes in this family.”

Bruce ignored the statement instead opting to try and talk over Damian, “Report, Red Robin.”

Tim didn’t even realize he’d stopped until he began moving again, fine, he can play along for Bruce a little longer. He stepped up to the console and began laying out his findings, tests, and results and finally his conclusions.

“You’re cutting corners Drake,” Damian sneers, “That sloppy and highly unprofessional of someone who called himself Robin.”

“Given the lack of resources at the time, I was unable to count them as further evidence, Damian, that was exactly why I needed to call Bruce in or did you forget?”

“Admitting that you are inadequate I see,” Damian said, crossing his arms over his chest. He puffed himself out to show off the shiny new Robin crest, just rubbing salt into the already festering wound.

“No, I’m stating the fact that thanks to you and the fact that I can’t step one foot in here without you lobbing something sharp at me, I don’t have access to the things I needed.”

“Rightfully so, Drake, it serves as a reminder of how useless and unwelcome you are.”

Tim ran a hand down his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, so far, neither Bruce nor Dick have intervened, which is unsurprising but no less infuriating. Why the hell did he have to go through all this for them?!

“You know what, shut up,” Tim growled, “All you’ve done so far is run circles with your dumb arguments, just so you could put me down. I have had it with your high and mighty shit.”

“Is that the best you can do? Call me out?” No wonder you were always the weakest Robin, technique weak, physique, weak and your arguments pathetic.”

“Alright, that’s it!” Tim said before he launched himself at Damian, tackling the kid to the ground. Unfortunately Damian already saw it coming and proceeded to knee him in the stomach, before he could pin him down. But hey, he’s gotten punched and kicked in the gut a lot, even by Ra’s, one little strike from a kid is nothing. So he laid into Damian, pulling his punches but oh did he let go in a barrage of punches.  
He’s almost sure he can beat the kid into submission before he felt himself being pulled upright and thrown back. If it weren’t for his reflexes, he would’ve landed on his butt.

“Red Robin, calm down!” Bruce growled loudly enough to echo off the walls. And Tim did, finally seeing Damian bloodied but not beaten, he still wore that signature sneer on his now bloody face, victory achieved.

“That was uncalled for, Tim.”

“After all that, it definitely was Bruce, it’s what he’s asking for.”

Bruce stayed stock still, narrowing his eyes at Tim while Dick in the background helped Damian to his feet. Already Alfred was there getting the kit ready to tend to his injuries.

“You’re not yourself, Tim, you should take a vacation, get away from all this business.”

“Bruce, are you side-lining me?”

“Go.”

Then Tim realized, they were all staring at him. He was the offender, the instigator in Bruce and Dick’s eyes, now he understood why Damian was still grinning. The brat won, Tim gave himself over.

“That’s it, the amount of times I had to take his crap for the mission, I let go once and suddenly, this is all on me?!

“It is, your responsibility is to exercise control where Damian can’t,” Damian bristles but says nothing. Tim would normally have loved to hear that but right now, he was the enemy. 

“What the hell do you think I’ve been doing all my life?!”

Bruce’s eyes widened.

“I’ve tried so hard, no matter what to look on the brighter side, to become better, to be the partner you needed. And still it’s not enough,”

Dick looked forlorn, like he wanted to reach forward and wrap his arms around Tim, comfort him. Bruce looked confused and even the smirk on Damian’s face was gone.

“You asked me why I didn’t come around anymore, you want to know? For control. Bruce. Because I know my breaking point and each time I come here, I have to face this goddamn pain, because you know what, Damian is right, you don’t need me.”

“Tim, he’s doesn’t mean it, he’s just a boy, angry and spiteful because of the league, he’ll get better.”

“Right and when will that be? Next week, next month? In twenty years when I’m dead along with my sanity?”

Bruce flinched, like he’d been shocked by electricity. Tim looked up, at the bats, at the walls, the stupid penny, anywhere but at them, he can’t look at them anymore. His eyes blinked rapidly has tears welled up. The laugh of irony bubbled over and spilled out before he could stop it.

“He runs me through with a damn sword every weekend and it’s okay, I try to beat some sense into him and all of a sudden, I’m like the Joker.”

Dick tried to speak, say something, anything but Tim can’t hear it, the waves were crashing too loudly.

“Fine, I get it,” Tim turned without saying another word, getting on his bike and speeding off.

Dick watched his little brother’s retreating back in shock then looked at Bruce who wore a dumbfounded expression. All of a sudden, words failing and thoughts halted abruptly.

“Bruce, do something, he needs you,” Dick pleaded.

Bruce didn’t react, frozen to the spot.

 

Tim didn’t know where to go. Not to his safehouse or any other house for that matter where they could come seeking him out. Some part of him hoped they try to find him but the other part, the one that just told him to run away, until no one can played a much bigger part, so he kept driving. Following the sound of waves.  
He arrived at the docks, right up to the pier where he had once stared out from. He could stay here until morning rose but despite it being so late he could hear the sounds of Gotham, polluting his ears, so he continued on.  
Following the coastline until he reached a stretch of shore which was clear, no piers, no ships, no signs, just unadulterated shore and sea. He glanced around briefly, aware of the fact that he was in the middle of nowhere, but that didn’t matter. Tim left his bike by the roadside and walked on, reaching the sandy beach. He sat and listened.

Nothing from before compared to the memory of that sound, no shouting in the distance, no creaking of ships, no, this was pure sea. Waves lapping at the shore and the crashing further out, wind blowing his hair free.  
And as he looked out, he could see the moon dropping, billions and billions of tiny stars all around and for a moment, he forgot why he was out here. Completely entranced by the beauty.  
But soon he felt the ache return, and the tears finally fell when the truth finally hit him. He was the outcast. No amount of denial could fix that because in the end, Damian was more important and Tim, was just a replacement. Damian, the rightful heir.  
He chuckled bitterly. Actually has a nice ring to it.

Tim curled up tighter, letting the wind whip his hair into a mess. If only, he could stay forever, somehow, this place was both cold and warm, like he’d found something he could live with. Here, he could forget, just watch the beautiful dawn and dusk over the see, the sun, moon and stars take their cycle. A beautiful sight to welcome him, always.

Suddenly, his mind began to ring, a song he swore he heard echoing over the waves. Singing so sweetly to him. He hadn’t noticed when he’d gotten up and began to strip out of his suit and everything beneath it. But it didn’t bother him, he gently folded the suit and his underwear into a neat pile. The wind calmed a bit, but the cold it carried nibbled on his skin.  
Tim began to walk. Forward, feeling the sand and gravel under his bear feet. He walked until the waves finally reached him and the cold was even more present, but it didn’t deter him. He kept going. The water rose, over his knees, past his waist and up to his shoulders before he launched himself forward to meet the waves, gently brushing over Tim’s back.  
He kept swimming and swimming until he realized, he was far from the shore now. He couldn’t carry swimming for long so he floated there, staring up at the blue morning sky, birds already flying overhead. For a moment, the waves of exhaustion he’d gotten so used to came crashing back, now, he was safe and he could rest here. So Tim closed his eyes and folded, sinking down beneath the surface.  
Under water, he heard everything, distant calls of whales and dolphins, the echoing chasm of the ocean where no man had explored. And for a brief moment, he remembered Aquaman and wondered, was this what it was like to be part of the sea?  
He opened his eyes. Light danced over him, while fish swam past. The sea swallowed him up and embraced him fully and time seemed to just, stop. This, was all he wanted. To finally be here where time didn’t matter, to feel this wonderful feeling of being free and unseen. And briefly, Tim recalled the memory.

I want to be like them, the mermaids

Tim smiled. He’ll stay here now this is where he belongs, he thought as his breath ran out and he sunk further into the depths.

**Author's Note:**

> Next part of the series is up.


End file.
